this connection.

"At the River St. John, 10 October, 1755.

"Monsieur,--As the enemy has constantly occupied the route of
communication since the fall of Beausejour, I have not had the
honor of informing you of the state of affairs at this place.

"I was compelled to abandon the fort--or rather the buildings--that
I occupied on the lower part of the river in accordance with
orders that I had received in case of being attacked. I have beaten
a retreat as far as the narrows (detroits) of the river, from
which the enemy has retired, not seeing any advantage sufficient
to warrant an attempt to drive me from thence.

"I have succeeded, sir, in preventing the inhabitants of this
place from falling under the domination of the English.

"Monsieur de Vaudreuil, approving this manoeuvre, has directed me
to establish a temporary camp (camp volant) sit such place as I
may deem most suitable. Even were I now to go to Quebec he could
not give me any assistance, all the troops and militia being in
the field.

"I received on the 16th of August a letter from the principal
inhabitants living in the vicinity of Beausejour beseeching me to
come to their assistance. I set out the 20th with a detachment of
125 men, French and Indians."

Shortly after his arrival at the French settlements on the Petitcodiac,
Boishebert had a sharp engagement with a party of New England troops
who had been sent there to burn the houses of the Acadians and who
were about to set fire to their chapel. The conflict occurred near
Hillsboro, the shiretown of Albert county, and resulted in a loss to
the English of one officer and five or six soldiers killed, and a
lieutenant and ten soldiers wounded, while Boishebert's loss was one
Indian killed and three wounded. He returned shortly afterwards to
the River St. John accompanied by thirty destitute families with whom
he was obliged to share the provisions sent him from Quebec.

Evidently the Marquis de Vaudreuil relied much upon the sagacity and
courage of his lieutenant on the St. John river in the crisis that had
arisen in Acadia. In his letter to the French colonial minister, dated
the 18th October, 1755, he writes that the English were now masters of
Fort Beausejour and that Boishebert, the commander of the River St.
John, had burnt his fort, not being able to oppose the descent of the
enemy. He had given him orders to hold his position on the river and
supplie